


smoke

by Demi_Fae



Series: Whumptober 2020 [25]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, Gen, Minor Character Death, its not super graphic i don't think?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demi_Fae/pseuds/Demi_Fae
Summary: Smile couldn’t exactly recall when he’d been hit. He remembered dropping onto the field behind General Skywalker and the others. He remembered firing his blaster at the droids, and avoiding the bolts fired back. He remembered the grunts of his brothers around him and the screams as they were hit, and most of all, he remembered the silence when they couldn’t speak anymore.-Day 25:Disorientation|Blurred Vision|Ringing Ears
Series: Whumptober 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930612
Kudos: 11





	smoke

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to [stitches,](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122621) which came about mostly because I kinda wanted to write Smile and Kix again

Smile couldn’t exactly recall when he’d been hit. He remembered dropping onto the field behind General Skywalker and the others. He remembered firing his blaster at the droids, and avoiding the bolts fired back. He remembered the grunts of his brothers around him and the screams as they were hit, and most of all, he remembered the silence when they couldn’t speak anymore. 

It wasn’t true silence, with other screams and blasters and faintly, the sounds of lightsabers, but the world felt quieter and every time Smile saw one of his brothers take their last breath. Then it exploded into more color and sound as Smile remembered exactly where he was. 

Smile wrenched his gaze away from the clone who’d been shot down next to him- it was lucky, really, that Smile hadn’t been hit. It’d been unlucky for Jinx. Smile remembered the surprised look on Jinx’s face which he could see even under his helmet, and he was sure it mirrored his own exactly. He remembered grabbing for Jinx’s hands and trying to ignore the hole in his chest while reassuring him he’d be fine. Smile remembered the blood dripping down his face, his glazed eyes. 

What Smile didn’t remember was anything after that. 

He couldn’t see where Jinx’s body was, or where he’d left his blaster- he wasn’t sure if the chaos before him or his own vision was to blame for that. Smile tried to focus through the smudges of color making up his sight, see if he could figure out what was going on- but the high pitched ringing in his ears and the screams all around him tore his focus away after only a few moments. 

Smile pushed himself up to his feet and almost immediately fell over. His legs were aching and burning, and every movement sent stabs of pain from the soles of his feet to his hips. It felt like walking on broken glass and through molten lava, his feet torn to shreds and set on fire while the glass’s sharp edges were melted into the cuts it caused. Smile held back a scream as he took one step and then another, forcing the pain to the back of his mind as he looked for- something. 

He couldn’t move one of his arms either, he noticed after a second. Smile glanced down and though there was blood dripping down, coating the white of his plastoid armor, he didn’t think it was his. Twitching a finger didn’t burn nearly as bad as his feet had- still were- but still Smile hissed. And he stumbled on. 

Smoke covered the battlefield in a dark haze, lit up by blaster bolts every moment. It hurt his head more to look at and Smile squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his other hand against his forehead. It met his helmet- he didn’t realize he’d still had it on- and he pulled it off desperately. He sucked in breaths of air, but it wasn’t any clearer than the air filtered through his helmet. Still he breathed it in, tasting dust and the metallic tang of blood with the far-away hint of lightsabers. It was already far too familiar after only a few battles. 

Pressing a hand back against his head, Smile stumbled along the battlefield. All around him were the bodies of his brothers. They were spread out and dying, some whimpering or screaming and others far too still. He tried to avoid tripping on them but he could barely see just in front of him, much less keep track of his feet. 

It was hell. Smile wasn’t sure what had gone wrong, only that something had, and he had no way of defending himself. At least with a blaster he could try to put up a fight, but from how weak he already felt Smile wouldn’t win a fight against a half-drowned tooka kitten. 

Smile tripped and held in a screech as his arm was jabbed into his shoulder. His vision whited out and everything faded until everything that existed was him and his pain. When he came back to Smile couldn’t find the strength to stand again. Couldn’t even find the strength to roll over off his arm he found when he realized it still hurt. 

Out of the corner of his eye Smile caught a glimpse of a white and blue figure with a red symbol on his shoulder, flitting around to the others, fallen like himself. He remembered what he’d been looking for, then- “Medic,” he croaked, joining in the chorus of the wounded. “Medic-” 

It could have been seconds, minutes, hours or days when Smile finally made out Kix’s face above him. True to his name he felt a grin appear, though it must have looked more like a wince. Kix didn’t grin back down at him. He only seemed to frown deeper actually, as he beheld Smile’s broken body. 

“Give it to me straight, doc, will I make a full recovery?” He tried to joke. Some part of him had known as soon as he’d hit the ground that he’d never stand again. Smile was fine with it, mostly- he’d never see another brother die on the battlefield, never wonder if this was the moment he’d finally give up the ghost. He’d also never make another brother laugh or make jokes about their terrible caf food or- 

“Smile-”

“Kix,” he echoed back. Above him the medic looked like he’d been the one bashed on the head. “I know.” 

The medic grasped at his hands and Smile held on just as tightly. There was a tightness in his chest now, one that had been building for quite some time and had finally made itself known. Smile started to cough and couldn’t stop. He tried to speak again but all that came out of his throat was a slight gurgle and the taste of blood. 

Kix held him in his arms through it all, not even attempting to save him. Smile preferred it that way. Anything Kix gave him would be useless in a few moments, he’d rather it be used on someone who could still be saved. 

Smile forced himself to look up into Kix’s eyes, trying his best to tell him to move on. No one else- or at least very few- seemed to see the way the medic broke himself to pieces over every person he couldn’t save. No, that wasn’t right. Everyone he failed to save was another wound on a heart that would give out soon if it didn’t heal itself. He hoped he wouldn’t be the fatal wound this time, but Smile couldn’t do anything else but what he had been named after. 

Smile closed his eyes, content knowing that his name would be remembered by one person. He wondered how many of his brothers wouldn’t. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can yell at me on tumblr at [rynae-reblogs](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/rynae-reblogs)


End file.
